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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University agrees with Andrew Neil that, around the world, democracy is on the march again. Putin's Ukraine invasion is actually helping to bring the rest of the world together and reconsider the attractions of autocratic rule. Tim wonders if the Bank of England is plagued by groupthink and, as a result, has boxed itself into a corner and could be about to crash the economy. And he ends by asking why modern culture is so dull in the UK and wonders whether the 1990s were the last golden cultural age.

Russ Mould of A J Bell talks to Simon Rose about representatives of the US Federal Reserve talking up interest rates, while big American retailers like Walmart and Target have demonstrated the problems they are already facing as inflation rises. So far they don't seem to be passing on all the price rises they face, while stock appears to be piling up. For Russ, the question now is what central banks will do and how far they can go before markets break.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, still dominated by the Doctor Strange film, now with £30.4m. Downtown Abbey is #2 with a £10.4m total. At #3 is Everything Everywhere All At Once with Michelle Yeoh while Steve King's Firestarter w. Zac Efron opened at #9 and, was says James, utterly unbelievable. At #16 is true story Father Stu with Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg, a film James found deeply unpleasant.

Share Radio's tech expert Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose about the Royal Mail's drone delivery to the Isles of Scilly, Shetlands, Orkneys and Hebrides. Mastercard have a new payment system requiring you to smile, there are teeth-cleaning nanobots on the way, underwater robots are killing jellyfish, drugs will have chocolate sprinkles to defeat counterfeiters, there's a battery that produces electricity from moisture and another from algae, the Dutch have produced a submarine party venue and Israeli scientists have mastered meat in space.

The Bank of England expects the price inflation peak to be high, but short-lived: however if it feeds into wage inflation it could seriously undermine both national debt servicing and the property market: that's why the Government appears to be adopting a tight fiscal stance and announcing a large reduction in the civil service. Carefully targeted support with the swiftly rising cost of living is urgently needed for those most in need and, if the Government can't or won't respond, it could be enabled through the voluntary sector: with Government acting as catalyst. However this is a role to which they're not currently accustomed. Background music: 'Everything has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins.

The pandemic house price boom caught almost everyone by surprise and has continued to run for longer that most expected, but is it now about to end. Rising interest rates and the cost of living crunch are putting a serious squeeze on how much buyers can borrow - and that means they can't keep paying ever higher prices for homes. Meanwhile, stories are emerging of banks and building societies getting cold feet on some of the offers that ambitious buyers have had accepted and the lenders are down-valuing properties. What's a down-valuation? When the bank or building society says, 'we're sorry, but that property isn't worth what you have agreed to pay'. Combine that with the best mortgage rates having more than doubled and you might finally have the recipe for the property market running out of steam. Georgie Frost and Simon Lambert discuss whether house prices can defy gravity once more. Also — should you sign up to a savings platform to manage your cash in one place and hopefully get a boost on rates? Plus, what should investors do as a slow motion crash hits stock markets and sends the price of many shares and popular funds and trusts sinking? And finally, fed up of being told to cancel your subscriptions to save money? We look at ways to keep your favourite shows and music, but cut back on costs.

Adam Cox is joined by mum, Loulua Zawawi, to discuss her breastfeeding journey. She explains the struggles she has faced, and how incorporating formula helped her. She also gives tips to mums who are choosing a follow-on formula. www.kendamil.com

Adam Cox is joined by Jonathan Hewlett, CEO at w'air, who talks about how the ever-increasing trend known as ‘bracketing' — the act of buying products with the intention of sending them back - is damaging the environment. He explains who w'air are and what they do, in addition to giving tips on how consumers can reduce the effects of fast fashion. www.justwairit.com

Childhood memories are crafted in our experience at the time they are created, but what if we could re-visit them in the light of all we have learnt and experienced in the years in between? Adam Cox uses a technique called regression in this episode which allows us to re-live a moment in the past from a different perspective, bringing new meaning and perhaps emotion, and potentially making a positive change for both the present and the future.

Is Wall Street starting to take a breath before reacting to earnings reports? Tim Beyers discusses Roblox shares rising despite (on the surface) a disappointing Q1 report, developer exchange fees, and why The Trade Desk is a company in transition. Also, Asit Sharma and Bill Mann take a closer look at Fiverr International, an online marketplace for freelance services.